We've all been there — you place an order and immediately realize you selected the wrong size, forgot to update your address, or wish you'd added one more item. Onward Order Editing gives your customers a short window after checkout to make changes to their order, all on their own — no support ticket required.
How It Works
When a customer places an order on your Shopify store, Onward holds the order from fulfillment for a set amount of time (you decide how long). During that window, the customer can visit a branded editing page and make changes like:
Update their shipping address — Fix a typo, change to a different location, or update contact information.
Change item quantities — Add more of something or reduce quantities.
Swap variants — Switch to a different size, color, or other option on existing items.
Remove items — Take items off the order (with an automatic refund for the difference).
Cancel the order — Remove all items to cancel and receive a full refund.
Add new products — Browse recommended items and add them to the order (post-purchase upsells).
Add Onward protection — Add shipping protection to their order after checkout.
Apply discount codes — Enter a discount code they forgot to use at checkout.
Once the editing window closes, the order is released for fulfillment and ships as normal.
Key Benefits for Merchants
Fewer Support Tickets
Instead of customers emailing or calling to change their order, they can do it themselves. This frees up your support team to focus on more complex issues.
Increased Average Order Value
Post-purchase upsells let you recommend additional products right after checkout — when customers are most engaged. You can even offer a discount on these upsell items to sweeten the deal.
Happier Customers
Giving customers control over their order builds trust and reduces frustration. A quick self-service fix is always better than waiting for a support response.
Fewer Returns
When customers can correct mistakes (wrong size, wrong color, wrong address) before the order ships, you'll see fewer returns and exchanges down the line.
What Customers See
After placing an order, customers receive a link to their Order Editing page in two places:
Order confirmation email — A prominent "Edit your order" link included right in the email.
Shopify thank-you page — The link appears on the order confirmation page after checkout.
The editing page shows a countdown timer so customers know exactly how much time they have left. They can make multiple changes (update address, swap a variant, add an item) all in one session, then confirm everything at once.
How It Integrates with Shopify
Onward Order Editing works directly with Shopify's order system:
Fulfillment holds — While the editing window is active, Onward places a hold on the order so it won't be fulfilled prematurely.
Order updates — All changes (quantities, variants, new items, address updates) are synced back to Shopify, so your Shopify admin always reflects the latest version of the order.
Payments and refunds — If edits increase the order total, the customer pays the difference through Shopify's checkout. If edits decrease the total, a refund is issued automatically.